Tall guys thread

Mike Freas · Post by **Mike Freas** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 5:58 am

So, this is my first post here and I'm a good 5 years away from ordering anything. Before I get my heart set on one of the RV's I need to know if it's physically possible for me to fit.

I've read every post about "big" guys but every one of them are refering to weight and girth and not how tall they are. I'm a tall guy at 6'7" 245 give or take so I guess I fit into the big & tall catagory.

I guess my question is will I fit in a 7? Living in HI I don't have the option to visit a finished or 7 in progress so until I can get back to the main land on travel or when I move in 2011 I'm stuck.

I mailed Dan Checkoway and he thinks it's possible if I were to use a extra thin cussion, pedals all the way forward and the standard panel. My current plan is for a glass VFR panel so I may even be able to modify the width to allow more knee room.

Just looking for opinions. Thanks.

Post by **Spike** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 9:40 am

Off the top of my head I would say its doable. Are you tall in torso, legs, or both? I am sure though that in 5 years you will find a way to sit in one. Actually, you should considering how much money will be involved.

Spike

Post by **bullojm1** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:23 am

Hey Mike-

Back in '05 or '06 my buddies from SoCal and I met up with Dan Checkoway for some demo flights. My buddy Big Al is about your height (maybe taller) and fit into the -7, although he said there wasn't a whole lot of extra headroom.

hydroguy2 · Post by **hydroguy2** » Wed Apr 29, 2009 10:47 am

I've heard RV-8's fit the tall guys the best. Vans also makes a "Tall Guy" option for the -8.->http://vansaircraft.com/public/rv-8int.htm

Mike Freas · Post by **Mike Freas** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 2:03 am

Thanks for the warm welcome guys.

This is going to be a project for both me and my wife. Both of us grew up in or around small aircraft. My Grandfather owned a small FBO for more then 30 years and my wife's Grandfather owned several aircraft over the years. Both of us have always wanted to earn our PPL but money, time and kids make that difficult.

I guess most of my length is in the legs. When I get home I'm breaking out the tape measure to see how tight it's going to be.

The money piece. Yeah, I know all too well how much it's going to cost. Being on deployment I have time to think about all this stuff. I spent four hours doing a budget and sent it to my wife. I'll be completely out of debt by Oct of 10 then the savings will start. I figure 500 bucks a month for four or so years will give me enough for the kit and some parts of the panel. I plan on selling my car when I leave HI and put that money into a CD for a few years. That money will pay for tools. Being in the Navy this tour and the next aren't going to allow me the time to build so I can plan/save. I'm figuring at least 5 years to build so that's time to decide and pay for a power plant. Reading different threads it seems the average cost is between 70-90k.

Iâ€™ve been doing lost of reading about different power plants but thatâ€™s another thread and Iâ€™m a long way off from that decision.

The 8 isn't really an option for us. I know it would be easier for me but this is a project for both me and the wife and we agreed on a side by side configuration. At first I was set on the 9 but I like the option of aerobatics and the slightly better speed of the 7.

When I move back to the main land Iâ€™m going to look up some 7 owners and pay them a visit. Right now itâ€™s looking like either San Diego or VA for me.

Post by **bullojm1** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 6:38 am

Mike-

If you come to VA I know a bunch of RV-7's up here in the MD/DC area that I could get you in touch with.

Mike Freas · Post by **Mike Freas** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 8:32 am

I'm not going to know where/when I'm moving from HI until Dec. Right now I'm not scheduled to leave until June of 11. If I'm ever on travel again I'll look someone up for sure!

Post by **Spike** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 1:29 pm

Actually for fit purposes I believe a 9 would also work as I think they share a fuse.

Spike

Post by **bullojm1** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 3:08 pm

Spike wrote:Actually for fit purposes I believe a 9 would also work as I think they share a fuse.

The 9 and 7 *almost* share the same fuse. The -9's have deeper seat ribs than the -7's. So fitting in a -9 doesn't mean you would fit in a -7. However, vice verse would be true.

Bob Barrett · Post by **Bob Barrett** » Thu Apr 30, 2009 7:49 pm

My 6' 4" son-in-law who weighs about 230 fits in my six okay. I have the rudder pedals fairly far back because I am short but he can still get in. I am sure he would like them farther forward. Therefore you could even try a six.

Depending upon how soon you are ready to build I might be willing to make you a pretty good deal on used tools. I want to support the military any time!

Mike Freas · Post by **Mike Freas** » Fri May 01, 2009 1:59 am

Bob Barrett wrote:My 6' 4" son-in-law who weighs about 230 fits in my six okay. I have the rudder pedals fairly far back because I am short but he can still get in. I am sure he would like them farther forward. Therefore you could even try a six.

Depending upon how soon you are ready to build I might be willing to make you a pretty good deal on used tools. I want to support the military any time!

I appreciate the offer on the tools but I'm not going to be able to start this for at least the next 5 years. I've got another deployment at the end of 10 then it's right back to the ship for two or three years.

I wonder if the deeper seat ribs of the 9 will fit in a 7?

Mike Freas · Post by **Mike Freas** » Fri May 01, 2009 2:01 am

Oh,

I forgot to mention my house in HI is to small for any more stuff. The higher rank I get the smaller my house is! 1000 sqft is just enough for a family of four but not really. I had to buy a shed for all my RC stuff.

Bob Barrett · Post by **Bob Barrett** » Fri May 01, 2009 7:38 pm

In about five years, I may be ready to sell my tools. Right now I am not ready to sell them. I feel that doing my own maintence on my airplane will require me to keep most of them until I sell my airplane. If my grand kids want to take it over and have private pilot's license, I may keep the tools for them to maintain it, with my help. Only time will tell.

DanH · Post by **DanH** » Mon May 04, 2009 2:16 pm

There's a lot of difference between "fit in there" and "comfortable". I'm 6-3 and about 220 with long legs and arms. I fit in a 6 or 7 just fine.....but after the first hour comfort is gone. There's no wiggle room. Your elbow is tight to the wall, the other one is tight to your passenger, and your headset cup bangs the canopy. If you're not flying, there isn't any comfortable way to keep your feet clear of the pedals and keep your knee clear too. It gets worse when the other guy needs stick clearance, like when doing crosswind work on a choppy day. Flying from the right is stick-hobbled; can't get your right elbow back far enough, so you wind up curling your wrist rearward to get back stick.

Most wives pick the side-by-side because they simply haven't tried a tandem. My bride has been in all kinds of seating arrangements...and asked for an -8 when she had free choice. She gets enough elbow room to knit. I get enough to fly comfortably.

Mike Freas · Post by **Mike Freas** » Wed May 06, 2009 9:10 am

I appreciate all the inputs guys.

My point on the 7 is most tall guys who fly in them didn't build them. There's got to be some room to be gained by making the panel slightly more narrow right?

In the end if I have to build an 8 it's still a RV and I can buy the aft controls. I'm not sure if my ass could fit back there though. Both me and my wife are planning on getting our PPL so the idea is we can both fly.

lancef53 · Post by **lancef53** » Wed May 06, 2009 7:56 pm

I am 6' 4" and 250, I fit just fine in the back. The getting in and out is a bit of an art, but they are real comfortable once you are in. I think there might be a little more legroom in the back than the front.

I think the tightest spot on the 8 is when I sit in front, the clearance between the canopy rails and my shoulders is pretty minimal.

Lance